jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
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This movie, which discusses what happens when a US bomber inadvertently passes through its fail safe point and heads to Russia to bomb Moscow, has been discussed here previously but not extensively. The movie didn't do well at the box office.
The script was based on the book by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and the book was the subject of a copyright infringement case by the author of Red Alert (the case was settled out of court). Interestingly, Red Alert was the basis for Dr. Strangelove, which was released in the same year as Fail Safe. It is that fact which accounts for Fail Safe's financial failure. Stanley Kubrick, the director of Strangelove, heard about Fail Safe and threatened to sue. Both movies were being distributed by Columbia and to mollify him, Columbia agreed not to release Fail Safe until after Strangelove was no longer playing in the theatres.
Strangelove was a critical success and funny whereas Fail Safe was dour but very realistic. It bombed.
However, since its release (1964), it has gained in stature and I actually think it's better, although I've said previously Dr. Strangelove is better. The acting is tight, the direction superb (especially the tight shots on Henry Fonda, who is the President) and the debate between men and machines still resonates today: are machines/computers becoming too complicated for people to control. Fonda delivers a terrific performance as does Larry Hagman, as the translator, not forgetting Dan O'Herlihy, who feels the arms race has gotten out of hand and confronts his personal demons. Walter Matthau is also terrific as the cold headed realist Pentagon consultant. The movie also focuses on the pressures that people are subjected to when under extreme pressure, e.g., Fritz Weaver as Colonel Cascio.
As I've said before, one of my favorite scenes in that movie is when General Bogan, the SAC commander, and his Russian counterpart, General Koniev, wistfully reminisce about the great cities of the world; they were both in London during WW II. The scene lasts less than a minute but it evokes shared memories.
This is a very interesting article about the movie that appeared a few years ago, Doomsday Machines.
The script was based on the book by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and the book was the subject of a copyright infringement case by the author of Red Alert (the case was settled out of court). Interestingly, Red Alert was the basis for Dr. Strangelove, which was released in the same year as Fail Safe. It is that fact which accounts for Fail Safe's financial failure. Stanley Kubrick, the director of Strangelove, heard about Fail Safe and threatened to sue. Both movies were being distributed by Columbia and to mollify him, Columbia agreed not to release Fail Safe until after Strangelove was no longer playing in the theatres.
Strangelove was a critical success and funny whereas Fail Safe was dour but very realistic. It bombed.
However, since its release (1964), it has gained in stature and I actually think it's better, although I've said previously Dr. Strangelove is better. The acting is tight, the direction superb (especially the tight shots on Henry Fonda, who is the President) and the debate between men and machines still resonates today: are machines/computers becoming too complicated for people to control. Fonda delivers a terrific performance as does Larry Hagman, as the translator, not forgetting Dan O'Herlihy, who feels the arms race has gotten out of hand and confronts his personal demons. Walter Matthau is also terrific as the cold headed realist Pentagon consultant. The movie also focuses on the pressures that people are subjected to when under extreme pressure, e.g., Fritz Weaver as Colonel Cascio.
As I've said before, one of my favorite scenes in that movie is when General Bogan, the SAC commander, and his Russian counterpart, General Koniev, wistfully reminisce about the great cities of the world; they were both in London during WW II. The scene lasts less than a minute but it evokes shared memories.
This is a very interesting article about the movie that appeared a few years ago, Doomsday Machines.